Book of Luke - Ch. 7, Vs. 18-35 (05/04/2003)

Park Meadows Church

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All right, I Think we're in Luke chapter 7 verse 18 Where we left off last time, let's pray and we'll get started

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Father we thank you for the good service this morning in the way that you moved among us and the visitors that you brought our way and we hope that your

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Holy Spirit will work in their hearts with the Word of God that they received and Lord, we know the promise is there that your word shall not return void and we thank you for the meal

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We've just had in the fellowship and we ask you to bless this time in Jesus name. Amen well, we've just had

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Jesus power demonstrated with the raising of a dead a young man who had died and He was brought back to life

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Rumor of this went out throughout all Judea in verse 17, and that's where we stopped so verse 18, we see this interesting passage where John the

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Baptist inquires about Jesus And the disciples of John showed him all these things so they went back and told

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John all the things they just seen about him raising the dead and so forth and John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus saying

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Art thou he that should come or look we for another? and People have different ideas about this

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It's really an interesting verse to study commentaries on because there are some people who don't want to admit that John was questioning

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Whether Jesus was truly the Messiah There are others who say well He seemed to be having a weak moment while he was in prison about to have his head chopped off and perhaps knew that Maybe having a weak moment or a lack of faith.

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I Don't know that anyone can answer that with Being sure about it, but I can only say that I like to read the

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Bible Read it plainly is a good word

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I won't say literally because a lot of it's not meant to be taken literally But when they're supposed to be allegories and symbolic things like the book of Revelation But just use the word plain you should read the

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Bible plainly if you read this passage plainly Like you would a newspaper

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It seems to me that John is questioning this And I don't see how that Is a bad

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Indication that there's something wrong with John the Baptist in fact Further evidence of the fact that he was really questioning it

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I think comes up later in this passage where Jesus seems to defend him as If some people some

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Jesus's disciples were saying why why would he question you there must be something wrong with him? And Jesus comes back to his defense and says this is the greatest man born of woman

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Why would he be needing to defend him if he weren't under attack? So I think that this was a weak moment in John the

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Baptist's life, and he's in prison and He's just not having a good day

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And he questions rather this truly is the Messiah maybe even thinking if it really were he he he would free me from this cell

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Maybe not knowing God's will for him was that he must diminish so that this other

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True Messiah may come on the scene, but John the Baptist made that statement himself so in his heart.

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He really knew it But he was a man. He was human and I think he just you know was questioning some things here, so that's my opinion

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Verse 20 when the men were coming to him They said John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee saying art thou he that should come or do should we look for another?

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and In the same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and of evil spirits and in too many

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That were blind he gave sight Then Jesus answering said unto them

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Go your way and tell John what things you have seen. Why would he do that? Why would he do these demonstrations of power before he gave the answer to John?

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Hmm Yes, and why would he have to do that with John? What was

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John was he Jew or Gentile? He's a Jew and the Jew requires what a sign

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So Jesus gives the signs first and then he says go and tell

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John what things you have seen You see they have to see the Jew has to see something the Gentile does not he just requires knowledge

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Tell me about it if it makes sense to the Gentile then he's likely to believe it or he can deal with it so Go tell him what you have seen and heard

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How that the blind see the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised to the poor and the gospel is preached to the poor and Blessed is he

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Whosoever shall not be offended in me and he gives him some scripture to to go with it

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And sends that back to him and when the messengers of John were departed He began to speak into the people concerning John and seems to me.

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He's defending him. Why would he need a defensive? He weren't being criticized here What went he out to the wilderness to see a reed shaken with the wind now as you read this passage?

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Remember, this is Jesus Talking and remember he's going to give you a description of two preachers

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Right now he's going to give you a description of two religious leaders and All you have to do is just hold up what you see

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Around us in this world today The men who call themselves preachers and see whether they fit

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John or this other one that Jesus is describing But they had the same problem in Jesus's day, obviously, or he wouldn't be saying this

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They wanted slick -talking Pharisees for leaders, that's what they wanted.

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That's what people want today So he said what did you go out to see a reed shaken with the wind you wanted a wimpy preacher

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You wanted a preacher that would just preach whatever the wind told him to preach whatever the crowd wanted to hear that way

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Is that what you went out to see? Implying that John was not like that But what did you go out to see a man clothed in soft raiment and that amazing you think about the preachers that wear the the collars and robes and their own

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TV and they've got thin thin alligator shoes and rings to match it and watches to go with it and Houses and airplanes and cars and wives with big hair and big eyes and makeup and all of that is that what you went out to see a man clothed in soft raiment behold they which are

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Gorgeously appareled and lived delicately are in the king's courts. You see what

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Jesus says these kind of people are In it for political power. They're in it to be known by the powers that be they're always going to have

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Congressmen and high people traveling with them Is that interesting miss

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Mitchell think about that, but anyway, that's that's what Jesus said Is that what you went out to see implying

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John the Baptist would never be popular enough to have that. He would not have He would not have

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Political leaders walking in his little group, you know and all that sort of stuff

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But what went you out to see a prophet yay And I say unto you and much more than a prophet.

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This is he of whom it is written boy This is powerful. He says this this man was prophesied

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You saw more than probably this was a man who was prophesied that he would come and you got to see him

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It is the one that was written behold I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepare thy way before thee

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For I say unto you among those that are born of women. There is not a greater prophet than John the

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Baptist Boy, that covers a lot of territories from Genesis all the way through the book of Acts He says he's the top one he's the number one prophet so anyone who wants to teach the word or be a

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Minister or a teacher or preacher of the word ought to study John the Baptist study his life study his habits study his demeanor study his message

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Because Jesus said he was the greatest For I say unto you among those that are born of woman.

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There is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist, but he Nevertheless he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he what does that mean?

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What are your thoughts on that phrase he's the greatest that's ever existed, but The least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he was that mean?

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That's a very good point And And you have more light

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It's amazing. We sit here It doesn't matter if we're a child in the kindergarten class or who we are we have more light than even

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John the Baptist had and All the people that heard him and the publicans

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Justified God being baptized with the baptism of John Jesus said

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Now this is an interesting little phrase all the people that heard John the Baptist Jesus is still talking and the publicans

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That's the supposedly the evil people the ones that the churches didn't want because they were too bad as sinners

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Well, even they justified God when they came to be baptized by John the

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Baptist But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves

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Being not baptized by John the Baptist. They didn't want anything to do with John the Baptist and Jesus says they judged themselves and The Lord said where unto then shall

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I liken the men of this generation and to what are they like? They're like children sitting in the marketplace and calling one to another saying we have piped into you and you didn't

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We have mourned to you and you haven't wept. That was a little game that the children used to play. It was like Follow the lead.

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What's that called follow the leader? So what they call it where? Simon says like that Where the person tells you what to do and then you're supposed to do it or you're out

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That sort of game and there was such a game in Jesus day and they were all familiar with it so he used it as an example and He said the people of this generation are like those children over here and probably there were some over here playing that game while he

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Was teaching and he used it as an example Not by accident, of course, but it was designed that way and he said that's what you're like If if you can't get

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John the Baptist to play the tune you want to hear If you can't get John the Baptist to give the message you want to hear then he's out

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That's what his point is They were like under children sitting there playing this game verse 33 for John the

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Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine And you say he's got a devil Because he lived such a strange life.

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Some of them started a rumor about him that he was Indwelt by a demon is the reason he was weird like he was in Jesus on the other hand says about himself the son of man is

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Come eating and drinking and you say behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber a friend of publicans and sinners

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He said so you can't no one can please you No one can please this generation

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One man comes and he's grave and somber and powerful and you say he's got a demon the other one comes and he goes into Where the sinners are and eats with them and preaches to him and you say he's a winebibber and a glutton

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So you either way you have it you criticize and he ends it with this phrase But wisdom is justified of all her children to me, that's a hard phrase to To define exactly what it means.

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I tried to look it up with some different commentaries and like usually happens They don't comment on this one because they don't know what it means either.

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But Matthew Henry did make a comment on it and he said That that it meant that the wisdom that it was a reference to the wisdom of the world in referring back to this little game that the children play and he's saying that's how the wisdom of the world is that You know if you if they want it to be this way one day the next day they want it to be this way

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And they don't even know what they want So their kind of wisdom is justified by watching their life

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That's kind of what he thought it meant. I guess that's as good an explanation as As I can think of but I know one thing

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Jesus Jesus certainly Nailed them that day didn't he when he told that story and told him they were like little children

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But he defended John the Baptist the greatest prophet that has ever been born of woman

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What a statement What a great man to study for any young man wanting to be in the ministry

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Want to preach any any man or woman that's wanting to teach the Bible and be a

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Bible teacher study that life Well, let's stand and have prayer together Lord we thank you for the life of John the

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Baptist and that he was such a brave Man and a brave preacher so as to tell the truth even to evil kings when they would come his way he would expose their sin and he gave his life for your truth

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But he was also the forerunner for our Savior a Jew who pointed out to the

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Jews That you were among us what a man what a wonderful life to read and study about what it must have been to go and see this man preach and Hear him preach in the wilderness

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What a delight that would have been to a child of God And what a fearful thing it would have been to a child of the devil

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So father we ask that you would help us as teachers and preachers to And those who witness to people in this world

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To to be as serious about it as John the Baptist was We know that you will use us with our own personalities and the way that you made us to be nevertheless help us to have his

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Understanding of the serious nature of the message Lord we prayed you'd go with us as we travel deliver us safely to our different homes today

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Thank you for each person that was here for our visitors We ask you to work in all of our hearts with the word that we've received in Jesus name.